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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'In December 2010, Julian Assange signed a contract with Canongate Books to write a book - part memoir, part manifesto - for publication the following year. At the time, Julian said: 'I hope this book will become one of the unifying documents of our generation. In this highly personal work, I explain our global struggle to force a new relationship between the people and their governments.'
In the end, the work was to prove too personal.
Despite sitting for more than fifty hours of taped interviews and spending many late nights at Ellingham Hall (where he was living under house arrest) discussing his life and the work of WikiLeaks with the writer he had enlisted to help him, Julian became increasingly troubled by the thought of publishing an autobiography. After reading the first draft of the book at the end of March, Julian declared: 'All memoir is prostitution.' In June 2011, with thirty-eight publishing houses around the world committed to releasing the book, Julian told us he wanted to cancel his contract.
We disagree with Julian's assessment of the book. We believe it explains both the man and his work, underlining his commitment to the truth. Julian always claimed the book was well written; we agree, and this also encouraged us to make the book available to readers. And the contract? By the time Julian wanted to cancel the deal he had already used the advance money to settle his legal bills. So the contract still stands. We have decided to honour it - and to publish.
This book is the unauthorised first draft. It is passionate, provocative and opinionated - like its author. It fulfils the promise of the original proposal and we are proud to publish it.' (Publisher's website)
Notes
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Epigraph: If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Toil and Trouble : On the Materiality of Time
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Cultural Studies Review , vol. 20 no. 1 2014; (p. 177-193) 'This article explores the nature of temporality, entropy and negentropy, drawing contemporary fiction by Graham Swift and Fiona McGregor as well as the autobiography of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, to ask questions about history, time and life.' (Publication abstract) -
Beach Reads for (Almost) Everyone
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 7 January 2012; (p. 19-20)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography ; Autumn Laing 2011 single work novel ; Caleb's Crossing : A Novel 2011 single work novel -
Leaking the Inside Story
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 20 November 2011; (p. 7)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography -
Non Fiction
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 19 - 20 November 2011; (p. 23)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 20 November 2011; (p. 15)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography
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Dangerous No More
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 3 October 2011; (p. 28)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography -
Assange Unauthorised
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 29 - 30 October 2011; (p. 18-19)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography -
A Draft Adrift
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 29 October 2011; (p. 29)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography -
Leaking Loner Spills the Beans
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 5-6 November 2011; (p. 35)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography -
Freedom Fighter among the Beehives
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Times Literary Supplement , 28 October no. 5665 2011; (p. 13)
— Review of Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography 2011 single work autobiography -
Autobiographical Fury
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 26 September 2011; (p. 3) The Guardian , 23 September 2011; (p. 13) -
Publish and Be Damned : Who Owns the Story of a Man's Life
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 5 November 2011; (p. 20) The Sydney Morning Herald , 5-6 November 2011; (p. 18) 'Every publisher knows the feeling: the manuscript which promised the "inside story" has been replaced by beige prose in praise of an unblemished life; the book one hoped would be profitable flops. What are the responsibilities of the author and the publisher in these circumstances?' (Editor's abstract) -
Toil and Trouble : On the Materiality of Time
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Cultural Studies Review , vol. 20 no. 1 2014; (p. 177-193) 'This article explores the nature of temporality, entropy and negentropy, drawing contemporary fiction by Graham Swift and Fiona McGregor as well as the autobiography of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, to ask questions about history, time and life.' (Publication abstract)
Last amended 13 Nov 2015 15:15:50
Subjects:
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cAustralia,c
- Western Europe, Europe,
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